Doing the Wormwood Mutiny and on the third day one of the characters came up with an ingenious plan to murder Kroop. It was really well planned and well thought-out so I didn't want to stomp over it. My big question: Is Kroop critical down the road?
If he is, how do I deal with it? A few options I've come up with:
1) Kroop was a ghoul all along. He was a drunkard because he was still good at heart (or, well, at least not thoroughly evil) and couldn't bear to eat the flesh of the sentient and used the rum to dull his unholy hungers. He managed to survive his assassination and reboard the ship after being thrown off and is back to being a member of the crew, surprise, surprise.
2) Kroop is replaced by a new cook that is, basically, Kroop 2.0
3) I just go on without him.
I kind of like item 1 (Kroop was assassinated via suffocation so being undead would allow him to survive that) but I'm concerned it's too heavy-handed (it's a new group of players and this was our first session together).
Any advice?
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Just go on without him. The players did something well-planned and presumably well-executed. If you reward that, you get more of that. Which is great all around.
Kroop isn't crucial to the adventure (though why anyone thought it was a good idea to murder the ship's cook is beyond me...) though he does provide a lot of advice along the way in the early going that the PCs will either have to do without, or you could have it provided by another source (perhaps Sendara).
Ouch! Well Kroop wasn't too popular with the officers even though he was the cook because he was passed out a bunch. Reward the PCs by nominated one and now they have to do all the cooking.
I was shocked with the why as well. It was the cook's mate who wanted a promotion. Thanks for the advice - I'll leave him dead.
Kroops big role comes in the second adventure, because he is the most senior pirate on the ship and teaches the PCs on the ways of the Shackles. Otherwise he´s pretty forgetable. Another officer of the Wormwood can easily have a fight with Harrigan, and be replaced with a ´sailor from the Man´s Promise. Grok might be a good choice.
The PC might also find a grizzled pirate on the island
Why did they want to see Kroop dead anyway?
Promotion I guess
Yeah, he's not crucial - but it breaks my heart to see him die! My players fell in love with him and really bonded with him.
Just have Sandara or someone be the source of all his piratical wisdom in the second book.
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Talk about short term thinking
Cook on a pirate ship does not a promotion make
R.I.P Kroop!
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Unless the killer was very circumspect, he should be keelhauled for it.
Unless the killer was very circumspect, he should be keelhauled for it.
He was. It was amazing and masterful, which is the only thing saving him right now.
Kroop was always drunk but he was actually a great cook. If the new cook is not as skilled, everyone - especially the captain - is bound to notice. Sure, there are no reprisals for murdering the cook because of the excellent discretion. But the officers won't mourn the loss a bad cook either... (And, no, to confirm what others have stated, Kroop is not essential to the AP. He can stay dead.)
Well the bull session was actually a downside since they had to put up with two drinks of rum
Alas, poor Fishguts!
He's not critical, but the cook's assistant who murdered him should not get the reward he wants because Plugg and Scourge HATE the PCs are it's their job to make the PCs miserable. If the assistant has lots of ranks in cooking and actually enjoys the work, he should be put on scrub duty immediately just because they don't want him happy. If he sucks at it, use the opportunity to allow him to fail a lot and get whipped a lot as well as have the general attitude of crew towards him go down for the horrible food they have to eat.
Another thing - if the officers ever get even a whiff of an idea that Kroop was murdered, you should take the opportunity to launch a full investigation and then keel haul to death the party's favorite friendly/helpful NPC as if there were evidence she was guilty of it.
Kroop wasnt so beloved by the captain. If he was, kroop would have gone with the captain when the 2 ships parted from one another.
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Considering what happens to the rest of the original Wormwood crew I wouldnt want Harrigan to "like" me:-p